With Halloween right around the corner, I have, like many of you, been watching a ton of horror movies. Admittedly, it’s not like I’m watching any more than I was before the Halloween season but there is a certain special feeling when horror movies and this season coincide.
While I love horror movies of all different subgenres, I find that the ones I pull out this time of the year are the ones that ooze with atmosphere, the ones that make me feel uncomfortable just because of the setting it takes place in. And one such movie that fits that need plus more is James Wan’s 2007 supernatural horror film Dead Silence.
This film seems to be quite polarizing. There are some who absolutely love it and there are those who cannot stand it. I’m not sure why the latter has that opinion because I think this movie is incredibly well done and very entertaining with its fair share of scares.
Okay, let me try to convince the naysayers, shall I?
First, let’s admire that this is the movie that James Wan directed after 2004’s Saw. He stuck to the horror genre but went a completely different route. While Saw falls under that terrible “torture porn” title, Dead Silence couldn’t be more different, having more in common with the Hammer films of old than with anything modern. For me, this really showed that Wan was a true horror fan, someone that understood the many ways in which he could scare an audience. Saw was something that horrified me because, although almost certainly unlikely, there was this strange idea that it could happen. That thought alone is terrifying. But Dead Silence can’t happen and we know that while watching it. But that doesn’t mean I was any less spooked.
The story itself is wickedly entertaining. It’s essentially taking a campfire ghost story and expanding it into a feature length movie, which is something many horror films don’t do. It kept the story simple and easy to follow while adding fun elements every so often, keeping us locked on the trail like Hansel and Gretyl’s breadcrumbs.
And to get us hooked into the story? How about that fantastic intro scene? In less than 13 minutes, the story throws us enough to make us want answers just as much as Jamie, who begins his investigation into the murder of his wife Lisa. We all know the importance of a good intro to a horror movie (just look at Scream) and, in my opinion, Dead Silence ranks as one of best.
I always wondered if this film was born out of the love of Billy, the puppet from Saw. After all, it was such a popular icon after the release of the film that I find myself being curious if Mary Shaw’s doll collection didn’t spring up from that fascination. Whether it did or didn’t, it’s a great way to add some terror to the screen because it seems many audiences absolutely hate the idea of dolls coming to life.
Remember how I said that this movie oozed atmosphere? I wasn’t lying. Edward Ashen’s mansion. Mary Shaw’s theater. Dr. Walker’s funeral parlor. Each of these locations felt so delightfully eldritch, so perversely sinister that I couldn’t take my eyes from the screen. And Charlie Clouser’s score only helped lock in that sensation, his aural presence weaving its way throughout the miasma.
I’m not going to say this movie is flawless. Some of the acting leaves a bit to be desired and the end twist is kinda unnecessary. Additionally, this is one of those rare situations where the director’s cut, in my opinion, does more harm than good. Some of the added elements could really stand to have been kept out.
That being said, the pros far outweigh the cons when it comes to Dead Silence. If it’s been a while since you’ve seen it or you haven’t seen it at all, definitely give this movie a shot. It’s one that I’ll happily pop on at any opportunity and I think it deserves all the love it can get. Just don’t scream…
